Pneumatic and electric connecter for milking machines



Aug 7 1934' s. J. ERLING 4 1,959,212

PNEUMATIC AND ELECTRIC CONNECTER FOR MILKING MACHINES VFiled Jan. 6. 1933 Patented Aug. 7, 1934 .Parar OFFICE.

PNEUMATIC AND ELECTRIC"V CONNECTER FORJ MILKING MACHINES Sven Johan Erling, Nockeby, Sweden, assigner toy The De Laval Separator Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application January'6, 1933, Serial No. 650,473

In `Sweden January 30, 1932 v 8 Claims.

, It is known to provide a pneumatic and electric conductor comprising a tube or hose of rubber or other flexible and elastic material and inside the tube wall one or more electric conductingwires. That part of the conducting wire which extends through any given length of rubber tube should be longer than such given length of rubber tube in order to prevent rupture of the wire when the hose is bent or otherwise deformed. A comparatively straight, soft conducting wire may be introduced into a longitudinally extending channel, of greater diameter than the wire, formed in the hose Wall. The hose may then be stretched considerably beyond its normal length, so that, when the hose is allowed to resume its normal length, the conducting wire will be coiled up in the shape of an irregular spiral; or a previously corrugated wire may be introduced into a channel in the hose wall of a sumciently greater diameter than the wire to accommodate the wire; or, preferably, as set forth in an application filed by Sven Johan Erling, Nov. 22, 1932, Serial No. 643,838, the conductor may be itself of tubular form, the wall of the tube comprising a regular helix of wire.

1n the adaptation of such pneumatic and electric conductors to milking machines, it is known to provide the elastic hose or tube with two channels, each containing a conducting wire, to insert a metal tube or sleeve in one end of the hose, to provide an outer metal sleeve embracing the end of the hose and to electrically connect the two conducting wires with the two metal sleeves 4respectively thereby forming a connecter for a Vmilking machine. The other ends cf the wires, at the other end of the hose, may be connected with the terminals of a magnet. The connecter is connectible with the nipple of a cock on the Vvacuum pipe line of the milking machine by slipping the inner sleeve over the nipple. At the same time the outer sleeve of the connecter engages a Contact device connected with one pole of a generator. The vacuum tube being cony nected with the other pole of the generator, the

V circuit is thereby closed, or will be alternately opened and closed by a suitable make and break device interposed in the circuit, as is well known in the art. y The nipple to which the connecter is applied -usually extends obliquely downward for reasons well understood in the art. That part of the rubber tube or hose beyond the connecter will hang down vertically so, that the hose Will be bent at that point. When the connecter is applied to v'the nipple, the channels for the electric conductor may occupy any position relative to the nipple, In case the channels occupy positions immediately over and under the nipple, one electric conductor will be stretched while the other electric conductor will be contracted. When the connecter is the next time slipped` over the nipple, the relative positions of the conducting Wires may be reversed, so that the previously stretched electric conductor may be contracted and the previously contracted electric conductor may be stretched, These repeated changes of shape, which are localized about the same spot, cause a slow fatigue oit the metal of the electric conductors, so that a rupture finally occurs.

The object of the present invention is to so i construct the connecter as to prevent such fatigue strain upon the conducting wires.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawing, in which: V,

Fig. 1 is a, view, mainly in longitudinal section, or one end ci the pneumatic and electric conductor with a connecter, embodying the invention, applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a View, similar to Fig. l, of a modication.

The rubber tube or hose a is provided with two (preferably oppositely disposed) channels b and u c, through which extend conducting wires d and c. .An outer metal sleeve f, to which one wire c is electrically connected, and designed to make electric connection with a contact device (not shown) in the electric circuit, as above described, embraces the end of the hose a. An inner metal sleeve g, to which the other wire d is electrically connected, is designed to be slipped over the nipple (not shown) of the cock in the vacuum pipe line, as above explained. Between its ends the sleeve g is bent at a suitable angle, say 20. 95 The bend may be sharp or gradual. This bend effects an initial bend of the rubber hose a.

The channels b and c are (preferably) positioned in approximately the neutral zone of the bent portion of the rubber hose; that is, at points 10U about 90 distant from the median lines of convexity and concavity of such bent portion. Thereby it is made certain that neither of the wire conduits will at any time be positioned outside the bend so as to be subjected to stretching, as above explained, when the conductor is connected with the nipple of the cock of the vacuum tube.

Owing to the bend in the connecter and to the weight of the rubber tube, the direction of the metal sleeve, when slipped upon the nipple, will U0 always be the same, that is, its bent portion will extend downward. If, however, the rubber hose, after the connecter is so applied, should be pulled to one side, the sleeve g merely moves around the nipple without the bent portion of the hose losing its described angle position, the electric conducting wires `thus being protected against any dangerous change in shape.

Instead of bending the inner sleeve, the outer sleeve may be bent, as shown in Fig. 3. In this case the outer sleeve f is preferably longer than the inner sleeve g. It is also obvious that both tubes may be bent.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A pneumatic and electric connecter for milking machines which comprises a ilexible hose, electric conducting wires extending through the wall of the hose, and a rigid element engaging the end of the hose and imparting a bend to the adjacent part of the hose, such conducting wires extending along opposite sides of the hose and in approximately the neutral Zone of the bent portion of the hose.

2. A pneumatic and electric connecter for milking machines which comprises a flexible hose, electric conducting wires extending through the wall of the hose, and a rigid tube secured within one end of the hose said tube being bent and thereby imparting a. corresponding bend to the hose.

3. A pneumatic and electric connecter for milking machines which comprises a flexible hose, electric conducting wires extending through the wall of the hose, and a rigid tube secured within one end of the hose, said tube being bent and thereby imparting a corresponding bend to the hose, said conducting wires extending along opposite sides of the rigid tube and in approximately .the neutral zone of the bent portion of the hose.

`4. A pneumatic and electric conductor for milking machines which comprises a flexible hose, electric conducting wires extending through the wall of the hose, metal tubes between which one end of the hose is confined, one of said tubes being bent and thereby imparting a corresponding bend to the hose.

5. A pneumatic and electric conductor for milking machines which comprises a flexible hose, electric conducting wires extending through the wall of the hose, metal tubes between which one end of the hose is confined, one of said tubes being bent and thereby imparting a corresponding bend to the hose, said wires being positioned approximately 180 degrees apart and in approximately the neutral zone of the bent portion of the hose.

6. A pneumatic and electric connecter for milking machines which comprises a flexible hose, electric conducting wires extending through the wall of the hose, and a rigid element engaging the end `of the hose and imparting a bend to the adjacent part of the hose, such conducting wires extending in approximately the neutral zone of the bent portion of the hose.

7. A pneumatic and electric connecter for milking machines which comprises a flexible hose, electric conducting Wires extending through the Wall of the hose, and a rigid tube secured within one end of the hose, said tube being bent and thereby imparting a corresponding bend to the hose, said conducting Wires extending in approximately the neutral zone of the bent portion of the hose.

8. A pneumatic and elastic conductor for milking machines which comprises a flexible hose, electric conducting wires extending through the wall of the hose, metal tubes between which one end of the hose is confined, one of said tubes being bent and thereby imparting a corresponding bend to the hose, said wires being positioned in approximately the neutral zone of the bent portion of the hose.

SVEN JOHAN ERLING. 

